Backbone Race Report

Friday, June 27, 2008

Top Secret Spy Photo Of 661 Neck Brace Prototype

Sunline Product Developer and Backbone Adventure Cycling baby-Pro Jason Schippers was R&D'ing a super-secret prototype gravity racer neck brace in Crested Butte last weekend. I e-mailed Jay for a quick explanation of it's origin and this is what he has allowed me to leak about the product thus far....

"It is called a Leatt Brace. http://www.leatt-brace.com/ It’s main focus was on motocross when it came out. It is moving more into the DH world and is being used by several pro riders. Noted pros using it are Cedric Gracia, Andrew Neethling, and Aaron Gwin to name a few. I am using it partly because I am working on some body armor that will be able to be used with it. Right now there are some compatibility issues with it and body armor. I also think that it is a pretty good idea. It is a little hard to get adjusted for DH, but once it is, you don’t even notice it. We are also coming out with a moto style chest protector that will have it built in. I don’t see that piece being used for DH, but we will have it for moto.

There ya have it, from the guy making the stuff that you buy in stores to keep you safe. Valencia Sport Group (661, Sunline, Royal) is designed and ridden by YOUR peeps, not someone in a dimly light room in a country you can't point to on a map. Then again, you thought Europe was in Canada...

Check The Mug Shot!

Thank GOD I have you guys to watch at races, otherwise I'd have no idea how to conduct the upcoming....

RACE TACTICS CLASS at the shop here in Columbus! I will take Bert's ability to destroy people on the climbs, Brant's ability to descend without fear, Bob's recently learned starts, Taylor's turning ability, Vanessa's desire for that post-race cheeseburger and fried chicken, and everyone else's ability to out drink the competition to hand down wisdom in this class. HOLLA'!

City Of Sin Is In 'Til 2013!

Las Vegas will continue to host the annual Interbike trade show until 2013, despite rumors of moving it to locations like ANAHEIM, CA! YEARS ago, they held an interbike across from Disneyland, and it was great to have it all in the backyard. That was back in the day of pink anodizing and the Shimano Action Heroes! Anyhow, Sept 22 will begin the 2008 Outdoor Demo in Boulder City (Mon-Tues.), followed by the indoor show at the Sands Convention Center. Amino Vital has already requested Backboner's assistance representing their brand at this year's show, and Tookie has signed on for at least two days this year. I am looking for the usual suspects' help come September...any takers?

Trouble In Taiwan

Taiwan has a problem. The United States is no stranger to it either. It's much more pervasive, much more deeply entrenched in the every day workplace environment. The job market is very competitive there thanks mostly to demand here, so any edge one can gain ends in a small percentage of extra income...but at what cost? Heroin in Taiwan is everywhere. Laden with caffeine and formed into small, round, chocolate colored pills it's "everyman's performance enhancer." It keeps the workforce busy for longer shifts. It makes them more alert while still welding bike frames up after 16 hours on the factory floor. Like many professional athletes who need to up their game, the workforce of Taiwan has become alarmingly hooked on these pills. An enormous percentage of that workforce is in the bicycle industry. Welding aluminum and steel frames, painting, machining bearing races and swing arm parts. The only thing I haven't been able to find out is the injury rate in the wrokplace. Those statistics are probably not written down, and would be very difficult to access even if they were. The weight of the drug use is also producing a spike in "junky crime." These crimes are almost always violent, and brought on by the dementia of the drug, or the withdrawals from the lack of it. Recent years have produced more televised hostage situations in the streets of Taiwan than ever before, and they almost always lead to the death of the hostage taker. The police or the angry mob will take him out while the heroin gets credit for the kill. The global market has global impact, an our consummate consumption keeps these nations dealing with the aftermath. We have "Fair Trade" coffee. Will it soon be time for "Fair Trade" bicycles? Will you pay for them if that time comes? The Taiwan External Trade Developement Council began performing inspections of 86,000 KNOWN factories on June1st of this year, to run through July 15th. I wonder how many UNKNOWN factories will get left alone?

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

The Backboners will have yet another split National venue this weekend, with the Cali Crew heading to Park City, Utah for some Mormon Racing! O.K., they won't be racing any Mormons...but Vegas Bob wil be attempting to test the laws of polygamy in their state as soon as he reaches St. George.

World Famous Vegas Bob, Vanessa "Super-V" Humic and Brant The Hitman are heading out today (I think) for Park City. Being a mountain bike race, and being in Utah (very strict liquor laws), I am unsure how they plan on living like the rock-stars they are w/out any micro-brews (Columbus Brewing Co. Pale Ale) or Jaeger. maybe a quick stop in Vegas for a cooler, ice and tasty beverages before crossing the border near Virgin (home of the Red Bull Rampage)?

I was so bloated in 2005 when this photo was taken along Navajo Lake Loop, I actually broke that tree in half on my first lap with me moobs!

Kenda Team DH Racer Tom Wehe is seen here in Brain Head, Utah giving Ara something they call the "Sneaky Schnitzel" back home in Europe. I haven't seen the Kreamin' Kraut in a loooong time, so if he shows up to Park City please tell him to help Gov. Scwarzenneger speak the queen's english. With Brant being part of the team Special Forces attachment for the weekend, I fully expect the birthrate near Park City to increase 125% in the next ten months.

Kenda Factory Ho-Bags will not be present at the next NMBS stop, unfortunately. With shorts so short you can hear eggs rattling together, they will be sorely missed. Big Jim Wannamaker will be with Robby and his wife on a pseudo vacation to the race, so it's probably for the best that the Buxom Buddies aren't there!

Bob and Vanessa warming up last season at the NMBS race in Colorado. Check out Vegas Bob's old RLX-POLO TEAM ISSUE Litespeed/Tomac! That was Susan Demattei's actual bike!!!

Jeff Williams and Newb Backboner Sean Cavalluchy are also rolling out this weekend. They are going to the Wayne National Forest (that's funny...forest...in Ohio...sorry, it just is.) to compete in the Wayne Ultra 100! Jeff is gonna rock it solo until his testes feel like they have been placed in a panini press.

The Wayne Ultra - WVVUS #4 (iPO Event Id#: 10576)

Nice trails, great fun

$300.00 to Men's XXC winner!

Come join us for The Wayne Ultra in the scenic Marietta Unit of Wayne National Forest, Ohio's only National Forest.

This first annual event will showcase some of the area's most beautiful and challenging singletrack while taking you on a true backcountry epic! Whether you are out to win or to have a great day on the trail you are sure to be amazed by the natural beauty of Southeastern Ohio.

To ensure a great trail experience, RVMBA volunteers have dedicated hundreds of hours to course preparation.

The 40 mile Ultra course is brutal so we will also be offering an "Almost Ultra" course that weighs in at about 25 miles. Sunday will offer a series of group rides led by RVMBA members. The race will be staged at the beautiful Leith Run Campground on the Ohio River. The campground offers a playground and hiking trails so bring the whole family for a festive weekend of riding ...come and get some!

Extra Info: Stocked aid stations and post race meal provided. Non-competitive riders are encouraged to attend and enter the short course, where else can you get a marked epic ride and dinner for thirty bucks! This is a truly epic backcountry mountain bike race! Trail pass required for non-racers.

How to Get There:

Located in Southeastern Ohio 30 minutes North of Marietta on SR 7 at Leith Run Campground. From I-77 take Exit #1 at Marietta then North on SR 7 to Leith Run Campground.

Amino Vital will be consumed in both states this weekend, and probably by the S**T-LOAD (the official Texas unit of measurement)! Jeff will be freebasing the Endurance formula like Courtney Love in order to maximize it's absorption into the bloodstream. If the girl picured were Courtney Love, that would probably be Kurt Cobain's ashes in that plastic tub, and she and Yoko Ono would sell it for some blow.

Taylor's Crusty-Butt Race Report

Yo man,

So I finally got settled back in at my apartment after my road trip to Crusty Butt this last weekend. I probably don't have to tell anybody this, but Gunnison County CO is one of the most amazing places I have been. The road trip out there was great, seeing the incredible rock formations in Utah near Zion at sunrise is something I wont ever forget. If any of y'all Backboners get the chance, head out to Crested Butte next year! Great fun, and an awesome place to visit even if you aren't racing.

Scenic road trips aside, the race went well for me. Day 1 of practice I was one of the first riders on course, and the MSC staff hadn't even posted any warning signs of markings on the DH course yet. The start was straight down a ski slope for about 75yds, ending with a road gap. Of course I failed to notice the road gap when I started my first practice run. I was greeted half way down the hill by some spectators who I thought were a little too excited to see me riding down the hill with no brakes. They cheered and shouted; "You got it bro! Go! Go for it!" And I could only think to myself in 1/100th of a second; "Got what you dumb a**? I'm going straight down a hill, not that hard..." Immediately after finishing this thought I was airborne and suddenly very aware that there was a road gap at the bottom of the hill I was just sailing down at full speed. I suddenly realised what the spectators were sooo excited about. Of course, I wasn't too exicted about being that high in the air. Fortunately, the Tomac handled the rough and overshot landing like a champ and kept on chugging down the hill. The rest of the course was mostly pedaly, with a few tree sections. Overall, I enjoyed riding it and think it would be an awesome course to ride regularly if only the middle section was a bit steeper.

I was content with my 10th place finish; I went into the weekend just hoping for a top 10 finish after my last MSC race went horribly wrong in Angel Fire. I still know I can go much faster, looks like I'll be spending a lot of time training on the trails in Mammoth and Tahoe this summer!

Pictures from the weekend will be out soon, I left my digital camera at home and settled for a 7-11 disposable camera. As soon as I use up my last couple shots I'll get them developed and out for the masses to see!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

Roger To Meet Carmen Electra

Roger will not be attending Park City with the rest of the team this weekend. He is going to be handing Carmen Electra the keys to her new 2009 Dodge Charger that has been on backorder for months! Roger...don't go gettin' pregnant!

SUNLINE WINS WORLD's!

Hey Chris,

I see that you are posting stuff now. I know that this isn’t team related, but Sunline won it’s first World Championship this past weekend in both the men’s and women’s DH. Gee Atherton and Rachel Atherton both won the World Championship race this past weekend in Italy using Sunline components and 661 gear.

See Gee’s run

http://www.freecaster.com/1000188_1004965

See Rachel’s run

http://www.freecaster.com/1000006_1005125

The most impressive run of the day. You NEED to watch this. It is so sick. Sam Hill.

http://www.freecaster.com/live/1000006_1005144

By the way, I got penalized for jumping the gun slightly at last weeks race at Crusty Butt. I still really need to get in shape.

Cheers,

Jason Schippers

Cycling Product Development Manager

SIXSIXONE/Sunline/Royal

******Thanks Jay!! Sorry I don't know how to make the links work guys....maybe copy and paste?***

Thanks To Jim and Jay!

A HUGE thanks to Jim, Jay and Rhoda for attending the MSC race last weekend and taking care of Taylor, Corty-40, and themselves for the race. It was a good weekend with super-tough Colorado competition. Taylor ended up in 10th place for baby-Pro DH, with Jay right behind in 15th. Jimbo took 12th in Expert DH, and I think that Corty placed 7th in Sport XC. Nice work out there guys, I can't imagine how taylor made it back home to Cali with all the beer ya'll drank!

Jay said he got penalized for jumping the gun at the start gate, and he may have had a very different ending had he clamed down a bit!

Wayne Ultra 100 This Weekend!

Jeff "Tookie" Williams and Sean cavalluchy will be driving up to northern Ohio for the Wayne Ultra 100 mountain bike race this weekend. Jeff will be rolling the 100 solo again, and newbie sean cavalluchy will be racing the standard distance Sport XC race on Saturday. This is supposed to be a great race to do, and unfortunately I will be unable to attend. I have been asked by work to attend the Tour Of Grandview Road Race Saturday and Sunday.

Hopefully our new AMINO VITAL ENDURANCE FORMULA will arrive this week, so that Jeff will have some top secret ass-whuppin' powder to consume during his solo race.I wish you boys the best of luck, and hopefully Big Ed can go and provide some comic relief! Have fun boys, and try not to suck!

Vanessa Humic's 22.75lb TOMAC CARBIDE!

HOLY S**T! Roger has managed to shave grams James Cross-style and whittle Vanessa's new 2008 Backbone/Tomac Team Issue CARBIDE down to just 22.75lbs. I think that my Ti HARDTAIL weighs that with rim brakes! HOLY CRAP! That is the lightest Carbide I have heard of so far, and that is just plain sweet. The CA/CO team is heading to PARK CITY, UTAH for the next round of NMBS racing this week, while the East Coast XC squad is driving to Ohio for the WAYNE ULTRA 100 XC race. Jeff will be solo, and new team rider Sean Cavalluchy will be racing the Sport XC on Saturday. Ryan Nolan may be racing DH as well, but more than likely he will be getting drunk. Frikkin' downhillers.